HISTORY OF EUROPE: 
same charge, which lord Melville 
' did in like manner settle and sign. 
It was further proved, that not- 
withstanding lord Melville must 
have known from this transaction, 
that the money advanced to him by 
Trotter, by means of which he was 
enabled to hold the loyalty loan,was 
public money, he permitted the divi- 
dends accruing gn that stock to be 
_ carried to his credit in his account 
current with Trotter till May 1800, 
when bya paper signed with his 
own hand, he authorized Mark 
Sprott to dispose of the same, which 
was accordingly done, and the pro- 
duce carried to the credit of lord 
Melville imhis account with Messrs. 
Thomas Coutts and Co. his bankers. 
It was also shewn in evidence, 
that there was an account between 
lord Melville and Trotter, called 
.their account current, which was 
opened within less than three 
months after the appointment of 
Trotter to the office of paymaster 
‘in January 1786, and was not 
finally closed till May 1800; when 
lord Melville left the navy pay- 
office : that during that interval it 
had been frequently balanced and 
signed by both parties, and dupli- 
cates exchanged : that no interest 
was ever charged on either side in 
this account, though the balance 
_ upon it against lord Melville was 
generally from 10,000/. to 20,0001.; 
and that large sums of money were 
advanced by ‘Trotter and placed 
tothis account, derived from the 
public money illegally drawn by 
him from the bank, on the pretence 
of navy services, and placed by 
permission of lord Melville in the 
hands of his private banker. 
It was further proved, that when 
Trotter was made paymaster of the 
navy in 1786, he was unable to 
119 
make advances of money to lord 
Melville from his private fortune, 
which did not exceed at that time 
the sum of 1,000/. or 2,0002. ; and 
that neverthcless within three 
months after his nomination to the 
office ef paymaster, he advanced 
4,000]. to lord Melville, without 
interest, his pecuniary circum- 
stances being perfectly known to 
Jord Melville, when he accepted of 
that loan. 
It was also shewn, that ‘while 
‘lord Meiville was thus receiving ad« 
vances of money, without interest, 
from Trotter, his attention must 
have been forcibly drawn to the 
transactions of that personage in 
regard to public money, by a very 
singular conversation, which took 
place between. himself and Trotter 
in 1789, wherein Trotter had the 
audacity to propose to him, lord 
Melville, treasurer of his majesty’s 
navy, holding his place by authori. 
ty of a warrant, which strictly pro- 
hibited him from deriving any emo- 
lument from the public money in 
his possession, to lay out the public 
money for his lord Melville’s 
private interest and advantage; 
but though this proposal was re- 
jected by the noble lord, it appear- 
ed not, that then, or at any subse. 
quent period, he made any inquiry 
into the amount of the public mo. 
ney in the hands of Trotter, nor 
into the uses to which it was appli- 
ed, or risks to which it was expos- 
ed; instead of which, he continued 
to accept advances of money from . 
Trotter, without paying interest for 
them, or even inquiring from ‘what 
source the money was derived. 
With respect to the acconnt cur- 
rent between lord Melville and 
Trotter, it further appeared, that 
the first item of that account, con- 
14 . Sisting 
